Fighting Wildfires Before They Start

From a fire break, ESF Land Acquisition Manager Kevin Contreras looks out over Elkhorn Highlands Reserve, where eucalyptus threaten maritime chaparral and seasonal wetlands.

With more than 4,000 acres of conserved land under its protection, ESF takes the threat of wildfire seriously. Before and during the fire season, our land stewards mow fire breaks around fence lines and structures. The team also reduces fuel loads by clearing brush and non-native vegetation. Through managed grazing on ESF’s Porter Ranch, cattle naturally reduce excess grasses on a stretch of coastal prairie adjacent to the town of Las Lomas.

Managed grazing reduces excess grass at Porter Ranch

Photo by Kiliii Yuyan

We also communicate closely with local fire and emergency service agencies, sharing information and identifying potential risks and resources on ESF lands.

“Drawing on the technical expertise of GIS mapping specialist Charlie Endris, the Foundation has developed an online map to share with North County Fire and other first responders,” says ESF Stewardship Director Dash Dunkell. “The map features up-to-date locations of key infrastructure like roads, gates, wells, and buildings, as well as locations of potential elevated fire danger, like stands of eucalyptus.”

Eucalyptus pose especially high fire risk — the non-native trees are highly flammable, containing volatile oils that can burn in explosive flares, spreading wildfire at ground level as well as through the canopy. Eucalyptus generate substantial leaf litter and are exceptionally thirsty, siphoning off groundwater and competing with native plants for moisture.

Elkhorn Slough Reserve has removed more than 300 eucalyptus to restore native habitat.

Unchecked, the high fuel loads and dry conditions created by eucalyptus pose a problem in themselves. And as eucalyptus drain water from surrounding habitat, they also threaten seasonal pools that provide critical habitat for endangered amphibians — a key reason the Reserve has already removed 300 eucalyptus trees, and the Foundation is working to remove invasive eucalyptus and restore sensitive wetlands on properties like ESF’s 167-acre Elkhorn Highlands Reserve.